News

Experts brief public on fish kill

While they still believe a natural phenomenon is to blame, provincial officials say they want to know for sure what killed thousands of fish in Lake Erie.

A briefing was held on Saturday at the Chatham-Kent Civic Centre, with experts from the Ministry of the Environment and Ministry of Natural Resources in attendance.

The MOE has stated an upwelling was the likely cause of the kill over the Labour Day weekend, which impacted 40 kilometres of shoreline near Rondeau and Morpeth.

This happens when wind stirs up organic debris and low-oxygen water from the bottom of the lake into the surface layer.

“The wind was blowing in the right direction for this to occur,” said Ian Kerr, MOE technical support manager.

He said the possibility of a spill was investigated, with the ministry visiting several farms, but that there was no evidence to support it. He noted the scale was probably too large anyway and would have diluted any contamination.

“A spill-related fish kill would usually be in a confined area,” he said.

Kerr said the stench residents smelled was probably decaying organic material and ammonia.

The fish carcasses were sent to the University of Guelph for testing, with results expected sometime next week.

“We're being cautious by sending those samples away,” Kerr said.

As to the reports of dead or distressed wildlife, such as birds, he said it's possible the condition of the fish had deteriorated as they rotted before being eaten.

Chatham-Kent Essex MPP Rick Nicholls, several municipal staff and a handful of residents were also at the meeting.

Nicholls asked about the chance of a passing boat being responsible for releasing a chemical.

“(It) might not have been quite so obvious on initial observation,” he said.

Kerr said all possibilities are being considered.

“We don't think that's what happened, but we need to rule that out,” he said.

Other concerns raised by the public included the discovery of nearly 30 dead turtles, as well as whether a natural gas leak could have happened.

Ministry staff said they would follow up on the issues.

“We realize the sheer magnitude of this die-off,” said Bruce Hawkins, the MNR's Lake Erie manager.

Property owners are required to clean up their shores by either burying the fish or disposing of them. The municipality is responsible for public swimming beaches, while the MNR is cleaning the swimming beach portion of Rondeau Provincial Park.